At midnight.
At this moment, while Wenlan and Chunfang were tossing and turning in their beds in the Eastern City Inspection Bureau compound, a masked figure dressed in black suddenly appeared outside the wall of the Eunuch's mansion in the northern part of the city. In the moonlight, the masked individual threw a rope with a hook onto the wall and used it to climb up, then quickly disappeared over the wall, heading towards the courtyard where the imperial eunuch Lu Zhong, who had been appointed to head south, was residing.
Lu Zhong drank a lot of alcohol tonight, so he slept deeply, not even noticing the door latch being opened with a blade. A black-clad figure entered the room, quietly pulled out a dagger, and slowly approached the snoring Lu Zhong in bed. When he reached the bedside, just as the blade was about to strike the person in bed, a short crossbow arrow suddenly struck at the back of the black-clad figure. Sensing something behind him, the black-clad figure swiftly dodged. The arrow deeply embedded itself in the wall beside the bed.
The black-clad figure abruptly turned around and saw a figure standing outside the door, dressed in striking moon-white robes in the night. Immediately recognizing him as the commander of the Military Barracks, he swiftly drew his sword.
"Who are you to dare to assassinate His Excellency?" the commander said in a low voice.
"Anyone who attempts such heinous acts deserves to be vanquished!" The black-clad figure replied, sounding quite young.
The commander said, "It is my duty to protect him, and he cannot die under my watch." As he spoke, his sword was already at the black-clad figure's throat. The figure swiftly dodged and, as he was about to counterattack, felt a sudden dull pain in the back of his shoulder. He touched it and realized a short arrow had been deeply embedded, the same type of weapon he had evaded earlier.
His arm weakened, and the dagger fell to the ground. As he turned around, he saw the commander holding a long sheath, from which the weapon had been shot. The weapon was called the Swallow Crossbow, a close-range weapon used by the Military Barracks officers that was extremely difficult to dodge.
"The use of such a weapon is despicable!" the black-clad figure exclaimed.
The commander coldly replied, "Any weapon that can harm is a good weapon. Why differentiate between open and concealed?"
Realizing the difficulty of successfully carrying out the assassination that night, the black-clad figure decided to retreat. As he reached the courtyard, the commander caught up, blocking his path and declaring, "It is your misfortune to encounter me tonight. You can't just come and go as you please." The sword glinted, and as it was about to pierce the injured figure, another black-clad figure rushed in and deflected the commander's sword with a knife, showing immense strength.
"There's an assassin!" The voices of the night-watch soldiers sounded from the courtyard entrance, growing closer.
The later-arriving figure grabbed the injured assassin's hand and fled to the other side of the wall, quickly disappearing into the night.
"Do you want to pursue, Commander?" the arriving night-watch soldiers asked.
The commander, seemingly snapping out of his daze, retracted his gaze from the direction the black-clad figure had gone, grunting, "Can you catch up? Keep an eye on Lu Zhong!"
The next morning, the now sober Lu Zhong learned of the assassination attempt the previous night. Furious, he called everyone over and praised the commander for his vigilance. He vowed to inform the Emperor and ensure that the commander was recognized for his actions. Then, he asked whether the commander had seen the appearance of the two assailants.
The commander's gaze swept to where Xie Yuan stood, seemingly recalling. After a while, he said, "Both wore masks. The one who arrived later... seemed familiar, but I can't recall..."
Lu Zhong raged, "Think carefully, Commander. Once you remember, we will catch them. How dare they attempt to assassinate me, where is the law in their eyes?"
A faint, imperceptible smile flashed across the commander's lips, as he respectfully agreed.
"Lord Xie, who do you think the assassin from last night was?"
After Lu Zhong angrily departed, Wu Sanchun, who had been holding back, couldn't wait to ask Xie Yuan.
Xie Yuan replied, "It's hard to say."
Wu Sanchun viewed Xie Yuan as a confidant, looked around to ensure no one was nearby, and lowered his voice, "Regardless of who it is, if it really succeeds, we can pin it on the maritime gang. The court is powerless against pirates and will probably let it slide. Furthermore, with this disruption, there might not even be a need to fish for those pearls..." After saying this, Wu Sanchun shook his head and looked somewhat regretful.
Xie Yuan smiled faintly and then took his leave.
Once he left the eunuch's mansion, his expression became somewhat serious. As he walked slowly, he suddenly heard someone call out from behind, "Lord Xie, please wait." Turning around, he saw that it was Wei Zixing. After Wei Zixing stood in front of him, the two exchanged pleasantries, and then Xie Yuan asked, "Do you have something to discuss, Lord Wei?"
Wei Zixing's gaze moved away from his waist where he carried his sword and smiled, "I came here and heard that Lord Xie is unrivaled in swordsmanship, and I became interested. If Lord Xie has time, could we have a sparring session sometime?"
Xie Yuan said, "Lord Wei occupies a high position, and I dare not be impetuous."
Wei Zixing chuckled, "Lord Xie, there's no need to be so modest. In fact, I came here for another matter, one related to your cousin."
Xie Yuan suddenly furrowed his brow, staring at Wei Zixing and said in a deep voice, "What is it?"
Just at that moment, Changning hurriedly rushed over from behind, shouting loudly, "Lord Xie, you have to come and see. Third Madam wants to go to the Hidden Dragon Shoal for Li Haiqiu!"
Xie Yuan's face slightly changed, and he grabbed Changning's arm, "What did you say?"
Changning let out a sound, not caring about the pain from being grabbed, and said breathlessly, "Early this morning when Li Haiqiu and the others were about to board the ship, Third Madam suddenly went over, saying that her swimming skills are not inferior to Li Haiqiu's, and she wants to dive for clams on his behalf. Now, they're all on the ship..."
Before Changning could finish, Xie Yuan abruptly turned and ran towards the city gate.
Wei Zixing's eyes flickered slightly, unable to discern his emotions, but without hesitation, he quickly followed Xie Yuan.
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